Family Philanthropy

11/30/2008 04:00PM
● Published by Super Admin

Each day, hundreds in our community receive a helping hand from
volunteers who understand that supporting others is truly one of life’s
greatest pleasures.

Yet the delicate balance between ongoing
needs and the resources available to help can easily be upset. As we
witness in today’s challenging economy, more and more people are being
forced into a position of hardship. At the same time, local charities
are reporting a decline in private and corporate donations, and fewer
volunteers as well.

As a result of an increased push in
volunteerism to support our overtaxed community services system, local
families are finding that volunteering together can be as rewarding for
them as it is life-changing for those they help.

Helping Others is a Family AffairVolunteering
as a family can be a meaningful, shared experience that brings families
closer together as well as teaches both children and parents valuable
life lessons about empathy, diversity and social responsibility.

Lending
a hand to those less fortunate can also help the entire family
appreciate how blessed they are to have simple luxuries such as
shelter, food, clothing and good health.

Encouraging family
philanthropy is the goal of Hands for Hope, a youth-driven outreach
program started in March by El Dorado Hills mom Jennifer Bassett. The
group, now 75 kids (and families) strong, works with Powerhouse
Ministries in Folsom, as well as local schools and food banks to meet
various community needs.

Bassett hopes the program’s immediate
and growing popularity will have a long-term impact on local families.
“The benefit of getting these young kids involved is that they will
grow up with compassion for others,” she says.

“We are helping
raise a generation of children who are already inspired by knowing what
they can do to make a difference. Volunteering will just be a part of
their lives.”For more family volunteering resources be sure to pick up this month's copy
of FoothillStyle. Check out the Distribution tab on this Web site
for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue,
please email Gloria Schroeder at gloria@sierrastyle.com, or call her at 916-988-9888 x116

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